Our trip to "St. George"

In July when Blake and I went to california we had decided we'd get annual passes for disneyland and go back in October with the boys over fall break. We decided we'd keep it a secret and not tell the boys. We told them we were going to go to st. george to go visit mike (my brother) and Kim and their kids for the weekend. The boys were quite excited to go see their cousins, so our plan worked out really well. Aunt Kim had just had surgery a few days before we got there so it helped our story to say after we had been there for a few hours playing that it was time for us to go find a hotel since Kim was still recovering. (thanks for helping us with the story Kim, hope you get to 100% fast!) The boys bought it and were good to get back in the car somewhat sad that they were saying goodbye to their cousins. So about 8:00pm we got back into the car and started the long drive to california.

After we'd been driving for a while the boys started asking "when are we going to get there?" or "how long before we get to the hotel?" We told them to relax and go to sleep and that it would be a little bit longer.

We got to the border of California at the produce stop where they check your fruit so you don't take fruit flies in with you and Ethan, still awake, asked, "why are we stopping?" Blake before he could really think about what he was saying replied "in california they have gotten rid of fruit flies and so they don't want people bringing certain fruit in so they don't have fruit flies again." Ethan (aka Mr. smarty pants) in the back seat said "why are we in California?" D'oh!! We did so good to not spill. Blake's quick answer back was that we were going to this cool hotel that he had gone to for business a while back and he wanted to take the boys to see the coi pond and such. Ethan accepted that answer and FINALLY fell asleep. We got in to the hotel about 2:00 am. The next morning we let the boys sleep in as much as they wanted and once they were up, we asked if they wanted to go swimming? They were happy to say yes and then Blake asked them if they wanted to go swimming at the beach? They were stoked and were ready to go in the blink of an eye. We stopped and picked up breakfast on the way to the beach and took it with us. The boys are true boys and Blake and i were talking that the beach was created just for boys/man. Water, sand, mud, being half dressed, beach bunnies, sun, surf....truly a man/boys paradise.

The beach will always be a favorite place to go for all of us. And this trip was exceptional. The weather was a little warmer so being out on the beach was perfect/comfortable. And having breakfast on the beach, watching the surfers, and playing in the water ourselves was awesome! It's at moments like that, that Blake wanting to move to california someday sounds really nice.

After we got back to the hotel got showered up and checked out (since we were still about 15 minutes from disneyland and our hotel for the rest of the stay) we told the boys we wanted to go to this place where we could take some pictures of the family. We headed to the disney parking and along the way asked the boys what they wanted to do over the next couple of days. When we started pulling into the area of the parking there were signs saying "theme park" with an arrow pointing the direction. Ethan said "i want to go to the theme park." We asked him what he meant and the boys started talking about a fun house and said it was that way. Once we were parked the boys of course had noticed the disney characters but we said we were just going to go get some pictures. We got to the tram and ran into Blake's Samoan extended family while we waited for the tram. They said disneyland a few times, but I'm not sure if the boys really caught on yet. Once on the tram the driver said something about that we were heading to the disneyland plaza and to have a nice day. We just reminded the boys we were going to the plaza to get some pictures. It wasn't until we were in the plaza (the area between disneyland and california adventures) that the boys were like "hey, we want to go there!"

Blake: "what do you guys want to do?"

Ethan and Sam: "go to disneyland and california adventure!!!"

Blake (to Ryan): "do you want to go to disneyland and see mickey and ride on rides?"

Ryan: "yeah and ride on rides."

Blake: "ok, lets go!"

I think Ethan was the first to have it process in his head. His eyes grew big and i think had he been a girl he might have squealed with excitement. And then Sam started hooping and hollering.

Blake: do you think we should go for 3 days?

boys: YEAH!!! wha-hoo!!!!

Blake: do you think we should go for 4 days?

boys: Yeah!!! yeah!!!

Blake (to Ethan): how would you like to get an annual pass?

Ethan: Really? YEAH!!!!

Sam and Ryan: Yeah, ME TOO!!!

Blake: was this a good surprise?

Ethan: Totally good surprise!!

I think if the surprises would have stopped there the boys would have totally been happy. But the surprises and happiness just kept coming. Saturday afternoon as we were heading over to space mountain we "ran into" Nate (Blake's brother who lives in Oregon) and Anne and the kids. The boys love those cousins too. Then on Sunday we went to the building where Blake served his mission and the boys really liked hearing some of the things about Blake's mission and they even got to see one of the places Blake lived. Sunday night we popped some popcorn in our hotel room and watched the disney fireworks from there. Then on Monday we did the whole day at Disneyland, Tuesday part way through the morning we "ran into" Jaimi (Blake's sister who lives in Arizona) and Jeff and Summer! Then later that same day we "ran into" Hailey and baby Jake! And then that night at dinner we "found" grandma and grandpa Young. This trip was a complete blast. For the miles and miles of walking we did it, worked off the extra treats we consumed since we were in Disneyland and on vacation. We won fast passes 2 different times for several rides in both parks for the day. We took time out of the park on Thursday afternoon and went to the beach again to enjoy the sun and water and to cool down.

Ethan loved all the same rides as he did before, loved the time on beach, time with the cousins, and goodies and fun. Sam loved Tower of Terror (his new favorite-replacing space mountain now to be his second favorite), loved the Jedi training that he and Ethan did, loved the light saber that he got to build with his saved money, and of course loved the beach. Ryan was finally tall enough to ride most of the rides, however he is not a fan of any that are dark, go into a cave, or are too fast (yes, yes, i know, that is most of the rides). He was absolutely happy to be there though and good to wait while big brothers went on the fast/dark/cave rides. He did like talking to crush, and the new toy story ride/game, and of course was more interested in the Disney characters this time around. He loved chasing the birds on the beach and playing in the water. Ryan being as small as he is tired easily, but understandably, since for every step we take it's two or three for him. He wanted to be carried a lot by the afternoon but didn't want to ride in the stroller when it was available. He was so tired on Saturday night we sat down to watch the fireworks and half way through them he fell asleep. One of the perks of the boys loving all of it so much was they were out with in minutes of their heads hitting the pillows, and they slept in too. Too bad all things must come to an end.

Our hope is that we will be able to go back in March or April when Blake is sent back to California for business again and let the company pay for the gas and part of the hotel to make a second trip out pretty cheap. But this trip was totally worth it. We enjoyed almost every minute of it ("every" would be exaggerating a little since there are down times).

Although i absolutely love Disneyland, the beach, and the chance we had to go there with the boys and meet up with some of the family, i have to argue their phrase: "happiest place on earth". After being gone for a week, i was truly happy to be back home in my own house and in my own bed. So, today, my house is the happiest place on earth. But really anywhere with my family is the happiest place on earth. Home sweet Home!

(pictures/slide show to follow)

WOW WOW RYAN!

Late yesterday afternoon i asked the boys if they wanted to go out and ride their bikes while blake ran to the gym. It was cold out but they despeartely needed to get some time outside. They all got their coats on and got their helmets on and were ready to go. After we'd been out for a few minutes i asked ryan if he wanted to ride sam's bike (since we took the training wheels off it earlier this summer). Ryan was all kinds of excited and said yeah! I thought i'd just see how he was on his ballance to see if he was anywhere near ready to have his trianing wheels taken off. Ryan thought it was a blast. He'd laugh as he would start to tip and i'd catch him and he'd laugh a little more. He thought he was somethin' else. After going back and forth for a little bit i wasn't sure he was getting it and the bike was a little too big for him so i thought we'd have to wait. Ryan reluctantly got off sam's bike and got back on his own and rode around the driveway for a few minutes before he came and told me he wanted his bike like sam's. So i thought ok, i'll take off his training wheels for a little while and see if being on the smaller bike would help. I think it only took a few short passes before he had it. I tried to let Ethan be the camera man again and he did an ok job, but he forgot to stop between rides so the video bumps up and down and all over the place so much you might get sick so i'll spare you all. Instead i have one of ryan after he had the hang of it a little more. By the time Blake got home from the gym Ryan was ready to show off his new skills to Daddy. Way to go RYAN!!!

Happy Birthday, Good Lookin'!

by: Blake


Well I was trying to think of a way to commemorate Jaimi's birthday and I struggled to think of something until I came across this.


After I was able to pull my eyes away from those amazing alabaster legs, I decided to post the image to share the glory that is Jaimi of 80s. (note she is in the midst of a balloon toss, not practicing yoga moves)


With legs like those sister,
you'll go places!

Happy Birthday, Jaimi!

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Tomorrow is Johnny Appleseed's birthday. Did you know that? Isn't it amazing that i knew that. Actually, I didn't realize that it was. My mother-in-law told me. And it's only because of pre-school that Johnny even came up. Of course today was "A for Johnny Appleseed Day" at pre-school. After school today Ryan went to his cousins house for some playing and i picked him up on my way to go get Ethan and Sam from school. When we got into the car i asked Ryan how pre-school was and if he had fun, and what his favorite part was. We got talking about the picture he drew and he was telling me he couldn't remember the guy's name so i started by saying slowly to help remind him "Johhhhhnnnnn" to which Ryan's quick reply was "John the Baptist!" I smiled to myself and said "close, Johnny Appleseed." He said back "oh yeah, Johnny Appleseed". Few hours later when we were finishing up dinner tonight he was talking about pre-school again. And he said so matter of factly, "mom, i like john the baptist." So close. Happy birthday anyway, Johnny.

Swish, spit, rinse!

Growing up we went to my dad's cousin for all our dental needs, and even now most of us still do. We loved Reed and think he's the best dentist ever. "Breath deep through your nose, my friend, breath deep through your nose." And as Priday's go (that's my family) we have hyperactive spit glands. Pavlov's dog fits our family really well. I went in to pay a bill and i thought i might need suction before i left the building. Last year when we were up in Canada visiting my parents we joked that it doesn't take much to get the glands going either. My parents and Blake and I had a good laugh about those hyperactive glads (it was late and we might have been a tad tired). Good times. One of the other memories of going to reeds office was from my younger years. We went in every 6 months for our check ups. There were a couple hygienists that worked there at the time. The one that this story goes too is the RED-HEADED HYGIENIST!!! (sounds scary doesn't it!) Sadly, i don't know her real name but all my siblings will no doubt know who I'm talking about. Honestly, i didn't have any problems going to the dentist and i went many times because we have such great teeth. We are a dentists dream come true, and a family of it too. Good thing we had a dentist in the family. Anyway, when we knew the appointments were coming up, we (me and my siblings) would hope and pray that we didn't get the dreaded red-headed hygienist. Sure, sure, the cleaning wasn't too bad, but after the cleaning came the flossing! oh my goodness. Your gums got in the way of her flossing your roots, and she'd lean into it too. Now I'm sure part of the reason it seemed so harsh was because we didn't floss regularly anyway, but i am not kidding it was soo painful. Fortunately for us Priday kids, and heaven knows how many other kids, she moved on (I'm not sure if she moved or if she went to another office). It was a relief for us to know that we were going to be flossed with great care after that. Fast forward to this last week. All three of the boys had their cleaning and check-ups. Blake was out of town so i was there with all three boys on my own. Which I'd like to say is not a big deal, but some days anything with all three boys is a big deal. We got to the dentist office right on time and were waiting in the waiting room when i saw her! Her, as in the dreaded red-headed hygienist. I panicked just a little in my own head praying that she was just saying hi, but alas, she was working there, today! I took a deep breath and prayed that the other hygienist would be the one to call the boys back. About 5 minutes went by and i suddenly heard someone coming down the hall towards the folders at the front to call the boys back......it was the drhh. She called Ethan and Sam's names. DANG! Up the boys popped and headed back to the chairs, having no idea what was about to happen to them. Ethan went first and was fairly good, except for bouncing his feet while she was trying to scrape his teeth. Sheesh! I took another deep breath when the flossing began. Ethan's feet were not kicking to get up higher on the chair like i remembered doing. So it must be ok. Ethan's pretty tough though. Then Sam. Now Sam, has some some issues when it comes to the dentist. He does not like the x-rays. No i dare say he hates them. It's a battle every time at this point in the visit. I tell him if he's really good he can have _____, or if he's really good and has no cavities then he can have ____. Then it becomes a big fight with his tongue getting in the way and the hygienist maybe getting bit a time or two. Then i have to get mad at him and take his favorite toy away or say he can't play the gameboy for a week, whatever to help get him to hold still and just do the x-rays. Today, the drhh just said, well let's just see how things look as we clean. Of course at this point Ryan is then called by the other hygienist. At least he was spared, my baby was spared. Ryan is such a good kid that he climbed right up into the chair opened really big at the right times and even had no issues what so ever with the x-rays. He looked so small in the big dentist chair. I had to go back and forth to where Sam was to where Ryan was, actually spending more time with Sam since he was struggling to hold still. Lucky for me, he didn't seem to have any issues with the flossing either. And really to sum it up. Ethan had one small cavity and Sam (as far as we know) was good and Ryan was cavity free. I lived to tell the tale, they lived through the flossing, and good news for us, she was just filling in for one day!

Ryan showing off his clean teef!

Just for fun....

So i have to admit i'm pretty lucky that i didn't have this one bite me later, but my sister sent this video clip to me and since ethan is such a fan of snakes we thought we'd let him see it. (ok, ok, i totally knew what it was, but i thought it would be funny and........well, ..... it was.)

this is the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S14wDdoWSgg

So because we (yes, i said we, blake was in on it too and laughed just as hard) knew what was going to happen, we filmed Ethan. This was his reaction:

And because we are REALLY good parents and we didn't want to let Sam feel left out so he watched it too, and this was his reaction:

I think we are pretty dang lucky that we didn't have any boys wake up in the middle of the night freaked out. But on the plus side (besides it being funny) i think the boys will understand that they should always stay away from snakes.

FINALLY Pre-school

Ryan has been in pre-school for the last couple weeks but i am just a little slow to get this posted. Ethan and Sam started school a few weeks before Ryan so needless to say Ryan was anxious to start school too. He actually kept asking me each day "how many more days now mom?" And "when can we go pick up Ethan and Sam?" I know he was slightly bored with me, cause my kind of fun is not the same as big brothers. Anyway, by the time we got down to just a few days he was really excited. The morning of pre-school we had a fun conversation.

me: so are you sooo excited?

ryan: no, not yet mom. i have to brush my teeth.

After he brushed his teeth.

me: are you excited now?

ryan: yeah, but i have to get to school first, then i can be excited!

For his first day of school it was a slightly cooler morning so he picked his favorite jacket to wear. This is a jacket that was Blake's when he was a kid. Ryan is the only one of the boys that has had it fit in the right season. Good thing Ryan's so small cause he got to wear it all last winter too. I think it's one of my favorites too. Also because Ryan is so small his backpack looks like it could hold him. This year Ryan gets to go to preschool with his cousins, Dallin and Mckye. That only adds to the excitement of getting to go to grandmas preschool. We love granma teacher. She's the best!

Dallin, McKye, Ryan